Reward offered in massive Venus' flytraps heist

Tuesday

Jun 18, 2013 at 1:28 PM

The N.C. Coastal Land Trust is offering a $1,500 reward

There is now a bounty out for the thieves who stole Venus' flytraps from Wilmington's Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden.The N.C. Coastal Land Trust is offering a $1,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest of any suspects involved in the heist.The thieves likely struck twice, one in mid-May and again over Memorial Day weekend. They removed more than 1,000 flytraps from the garden, which is at the city's Alderman Park off Independence Boulevard.In response, the Land Trust, which holds a conservation easement on the land, owned by the Oleander Co., launched the Flytrap Fund.Donations to the fund will be used for a reward. The money also helps restore the flytraps in the garden, enhance security at that garden and other flytrap preserves and help conserve habitats that could support flytraps.For more information, visit the Land Trust's website at www.coastallandtrust.org. Anyone with information about the stolen plants is asked to call the Wilmington Police Department's non-emergency line at 343-3600 or send an anonymous text by typing TIP 708 and the message sending it to CRIMES (274637)